AEDLocator

Basics

Home Emergency Kit Checklist for Singapore HDB and Condo Flats

Most Singapore households learn about AEDs the wrong way. Someone searches the nearest public cabinet, finds it three blocks away or closed after 10 p.m., and then does nothing else.

A home kit will not replace calling 995 or fetching a real defibrillator. It does give you gloves, a CPR face shield, scissors, and a written plan for the minutes when the collapse is in your living room and the runner is still in the lift.

This checklist is for HDB and condo households, caregivers, and anyone planning ahead after checking nearby devices. It is not a full Standard First Aid syllabus, and it is not medical advice for treating every injury at home.

What a home emergency kit is for (and what it is not)

For:

  • Starting help while someone calls 995
  • Protecting the rescuer (gloves, face shield)
  • Cutting clothing and preparing a chest if an AED arrives
  • Common bleeding, burns, and household injuries until professional help or a workplace-grade kit is available
  • A grab-and-go pouch if you leave the flat with an elderly parent or child

Not for:

  • Replacing an AED when the rhythm is shockable
  • Skipping CPR when the person is unresponsive and not breathing normally
  • Storing expired pads from a public cabinet "just in case"
  • Treating chest pain alone as something a kit can fix without calling 995

If the person has collapsed and is not breathing normally, the sequence is still: call 995, start CPR if you can, send someone for the nearest AED. Kit items support that sequence. They do not rewrite it. See what to do before an ambulance arrives.

First map the AED you already have nearby

Before you buy another pouch of bandages, answer three questions with real walking times:

  1. Where is the nearest listed public AED to your block?
  2. Is it reachable at 2 a.m., or only during mall/office hours?
  3. Who in your household knows the landmark without opening a phone?

Use AEDLocator for planning, then confirm on the ground. Keep myResponder installed for a live emergency. Method comparison: how to check if an AED is nearby.

Write the landmark on a card inside your kit: "Block X lift lobby Level 1, opposite letterboxes" or "mall Level 1 customer service, closes 10 p.m." A kit without a location card is incomplete for cardiac arrest.

Core cardiac-response items for a Singapore flat

Keep these together in one labelled pouch or box, not scattered across bathrooms:

  • Nitrile gloves (several pairs, including a size that fits smaller hands)
  • CPR face shield or pocket mask with a one-way valve
  • Trauma shears or strong scissors for cutting clothing
  • Disposable razor and a small towel or gauze for drying/preparing a chest if an AED is used
  • Torch (phone light fails when the battery is at 3%)
  • Written card: 995, your postal code, block/unit landmark, nearest AED landmark and hours
  • Optional: a whistle or loud callout habit so neighbours hear you if you are alone

You do not need a clinical AED in every flat to justify this list. You need the tools that make bystander CPR and AED use less messy and less delayed.

General first aid layer (the rest of the box)

Add a basic injury layer so the same box covers more than cardiac arrest:

  • Adhesive plasters in mixed sizes
  • Sterile gauze pads and a conforming bandage
  • Micropore or medical tape
  • Triangular bandage
  • Antiseptic wipes (check expiry)
  • Instant cold pack
  • Saline eye wash or sterile saline pods if space allows
  • Burn gel or hydrogel dressing for minor burns (major burns: cool with running water and call 995)
  • Digital thermometer
  • Any personal medications your household actually uses, in original packaging, with doses written down

Skip mystery tablets "for emergencies" that nobody in the flat is prescribed. Ambiguous pills create wrong-dose risk under stress.

Offices have separate MOM first-aid box duties. If you are setting up a workplace floor, use the office first aid and AED wall station guide instead of this household list.

Where to store the kit in an HDB or condo unit

Pick one primary spot everyone can name:

  • Inside the main entrance cupboard or shoe cabinet top shelf (grab on the way out)
  • A kitchen high cupboard away from toddlers, if that is where people gather
  • Beside the bed only if a household member has higher overnight risk and others know that location

Avoid:

  • A bathroom cabinet that steams and ruins adhesives
  • A renovation box in the bomb shelter that nobody opens
  • Separate "AED stuff" and "plaster stuff" in two rooms

Put a second mini pouch in the car or work bag if you commute with dependents. The flat kit stays at home.

Should you buy a home AED for your flat?

Sometimes. Not as the default first purchase.

The full decision framework (public-gap walk test, cost ranges, home vs block device, supplier vs marketplace) is in should you buy a home AED in Singapore.

Short version: buy a clinical home AED when overnight public access fails and your household will train and maintain the device. Otherwise start with this kit, a timed retrieval plan, and (for condos) an MCST AGM proposal. Clinical units belong with authorised Singapore suppliers, not impulse marketplace listings.

A 20-minute household drill (do this once)

  1. Open the kit. Check glove fit and face-shield packaging.
  2. Say out loud who calls 995 and who runs for the AED.
  3. Walk the route to your primary public AED at the time of day you worry about most (evening is fine; night is better).
  4. Time the round trip. If it is slow, identify a backup device or escalate to your MCST.
  5. Book or renew CPR-AED training if certificates are stale. Options: CPR+AED training providers.

Repeat the walk after renovations, new gate codes, or a change in mall hours.

Example products (kit first, device via suppliers)

Sponsored examples below. Confirm contents and expiry on the live listing. A first aid kit is not an AED.

More options: preparedness hub.

Keep the kit alive after you buy it

  • Put a calendar reminder every 6 months to check expiry dates
  • Replace anything used after a real incident the same week
  • Update the AED landmark card when the mall renovates or your block gets a new lobby cabinet
  • Tell new housemates, helpers, and adult children where the kit is on day one

An expired, hidden kit is clutter. A labelled, drilled kit is part of the plan.

FAQ: home emergency kits in Singapore flats

What should be in a home first aid kit in Singapore?

Start with gloves, a CPR face shield, scissors, a torch, and a card with 995 plus your nearest AED landmark. Then add plasters, gauze, bandage, tape, antiseptic wipes, a cold pack, and any personal meds your household actually uses.

Is a home first aid kit enough if there is no AED in my block?

It helps the rescuer and covers common injuries. It does not defibrillate. Still call 995, start CPR if needed, and send someone for the nearest reachable AED. Push your MCST or town council conversation for a block-level device if coverage is weak.

Where should I keep an emergency kit in an HDB flat?

One labelled spot everyone can find under stress, often near the main door. Avoid steamy bathrooms and forgotten bomb-shelter boxes.

Do I need a home AED as well as a kit?

Only after you understand nearby public coverage, overnight access, and whether you will maintain pads and training. Many households should fix the kit and the retrieval plan first, then decide on a personal device with clinical advice and an authorised supplier. Full framework: should you buy a home AED in Singapore.

How often should I replace first aid supplies?

Check every six months. Replace anything expired, dried out, or used. Update the AED location card whenever access or hours change.